To Protect Animals, Support RescuersAn Animal Rights Article from All-Creatures.org

FROM

In late May, Patty Mark was shockingly arrested for her act of
compassion. Mark's problem is that the animals she rescued were not the dogs
and cats we hold dear in Western culture - as in the case of an Army veteran
in Georgia who smashed out the windows of a hot car to rescue a dog trapped
inside, and who recently had charges against him dropped - but, rather, hens
at an egg farm. For taking the abused animals to a vet, she is now facing
serious charges that could land her in prison.

The stories being told from such investigations and rescues are having
an impact. In May, Gallup released a poll indicating that an astonishing 32
percent of Americans - up from one in four in a 2008 poll - believe that
animals should have "the same rights as people."

SAFE and Farm Watch's vigil for chickens in Aotea Square, Auckland,
Aotearoa New Zealand. Activists who investigate the abuse of animals are
often targeted by the criminal legal system. (Photo: Simon Oosterman/Flickr)

When Patty Mark, an unassuming 66-year-old grandmother in Melbourne, got
wind of appalling animal abuse happening right next door, she did what every
caring grandmother would do: She helped the animals in need. Some were
starved. Others had been mutilated. One was so infected with pus that she
lost half her body weight when the diseased liquid was drained out of her
belly. Mark documented the nightmarish abuse and brought a small handful of
near-death hens to a veterinarian for emergency care.

In late May, Mark was shockingly arrested for her act of compassion.
Mark's problem is that the animals she rescued were not the dogs and cats we
hold dear in Western culture - as in the case of an Army veteran in Georgia
who smashed out the windows of a hot car to rescue a dog trapped inside, and
who recently had charges against him dropped - but, rather, hens at an egg
farm. For taking the abused animals to a vet, she is now facing serious
charges that could land her in prison.

I have a special interest in Mark's case. For 10 years now, I, too, have
left the safety and comfort of my day job (most recently, as a corporate
lawyer) to walk behind the closed doors of animal agricultural facilities.
I, too, have been horrified by what I saw on the other side. Every farm I
have visited - factory farm or family farm, battery cage or free range - has
been filled with violence that would shock the conscience of ordinary
people. And, I, too, have rescued a handful of the most desperate victims.

In January, I and a handful of other investigators with the grassroots
animal liberation network Direct Action Everywhere released footage of what
we found when we visited a "Certified Humane" Whole Foods egg supplier.
During the investigation, we, like Mark, rescued a hen who was near death,
and who we named Mei Hua ("beautiful flower") and nursed back to health.

The stories being told from such investigations and rescues are having an
impact. In May, Gallup released a poll indicating that an astonishing 32
percent of Americans - up from one in four in a 2008 poll - believe that
animals should have "the same rights as people." Influential voices across
the world are recognizing and rejecting the violence we perpetrate on
animals, with a New York Times columnist noting that we have moved passed
the era of animal welfare and entered "what might be called [an era of]
animal dignity." The tide, in short, is turning.

That is why Mark's case is so important to industries that profit from
violence against animals. With public sentiment shifting against them, these
industries must fight back. They know they cannot win in the court of public
opinion, so they are fighting in the court of law, where lobbyists and
lawyers give these industries an unfair advantage. And with increasing
prosecution of nonviolent activism, and so-called ag-gag laws spreading
across the world (most recently, Mark's own Australia), industry just might
succeed. If investigators such as Mark - or me - are sent to prison for
documenting and remediating abuse of animals, the investigations will stop.
And the loser will be public dialogue, corporate accountability and, most
importantly, the animals that are the victims of this violence.

But there is another path forward. If the public comes out strongly in
favor of work such as Mark's (and her groundbreaking organization Animal
Liberation Victoria), and against attempts by industry to silence
whistleblowers and dissent, the investigations and rescues will continue.
And what those investigations will show is not just isolated acts of
cruelty, nor individual acts of compassion. In the face of dark and
terrifying violence, rescues such as Mark's light the path to a different
and better world, a world where the animals of this earth are treated not as
objects or machines, but as the living, breathing and feeling beings they
are.

Fair Use Notice: This document, and others on our web site, may contain copyrighted
material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owners.
We believe that this not-for-profit, educational use on the Web constitutes a fair use
of the copyrighted material (as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law).
If you wish to use this copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use,
you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.